Hi, eleena. I guess I would want to know why your DH didn't like the previous BB, and what he generally does like. When you say it was "too soft," does that mean he didn't like cuts and dings? Or did it stain? Does he prefer a shiny surface? You can still have the BB look with a good sealer and a high-polish finish (many GW threads on that). For us, we want a warm, natural, usable surface, so we are using edge-grain hard rock maple (recycled bowling alley), and we will only lightly finish it so we can cut right on the surface. The nicks, dings and stains will be a part of the living surface. But many people don't like this look, so BB may not be a good choice for them, or a more highly-sealed BB might work. Good luck!

poorowner, I'd love to tell you it will be fine since I have an undermount sink, but I really don't know. I saw another member on this forum have an undermount with butcher block so I decided to go for it. My sink is so deep that not too much water ever makes it up that high though. Also, the Waterlox makes the water bead and not penetrate the wood. We did put on five top coats however. We also put bb in our kids bathroom counter. I knew they would destroy it going in, but wanted a cheap update instead of a complete remodel. It has been there about a year. The only trouble spot is where they would put a cup that had water on the bottom of it in the same spot for several days. When I noticed it, there was a tiny bit of black and the wood had formed a hump and was soft. After drying out you really don't notice anything.

I have an thick end-grain square butcherblock that sits next to the sink and is the non-meat cutting/chopping worksurface we use on an almost daily basis. It gets wiped off several times and then gets a more vigorous cleaning at the end. I have another thinner board I use for cutting meat that is easier to scrub clean in the sink. When I first got the block I drenched it in pure tung oil thinned with citrus solvent. Let it soak in. Put more on. Repeat, repeat. Let it dry until it didn't smell. What happens over time is that the center area where I work the most starts to look "dry" like untreated wood. There's enough tung oil in it that I don't worry about it drying out or splitting but aesthetically it looks like a well-used block. Maybe twice a year I apply a coat of thinned tung oil over the whole thing to keep it sealed. I much prefer the soaked-in protection that the tung oil gives than the surface protection that frequently-applied mineral oil does. So to me there are two considerations: how well sealed is it to protect it from splitting and how does it look. The tung oil will give the best long-term protection but if you use it it will look used. If you want it to look "wet", then mineral oil and/or wax will give that look on the surface.

Waterlox is phenolic resin (ie plastic) mixed with tung oil. It looks and behaves a lot more like a varnish than an oil finish. (but considerably harder than most varnish). It reportedly can be recoated without stripping or sanding. It forms a layer of finish on top of the wood. I tried some and didn't care for the look. I finished my 3" cherry countertops with Polymerized tung oil, from Lee Valley. 4 coats top and bottom before installation. I reoil every 3-4 months. Seems sturdier and longer lasting than mineral oil. looks very similar. I have two sections. one I sort of fastened down with two #10 screws in 1/2" holes and the second piece I never got around to putting in the screws. The weight of the countertop plus the caulking between the top and the backsplash seems to hold the top in place pretty securely. Which is a good thing because the loose screws (which are the recommended installation) would let the counter slide back and forth about 3/8". If I ever had to remove the first section, I would not bother repacing the screws.